Of course, it's a standard tactic for plaintiffs' lawyers to lobby media, hedge funds, and government to mau-mau corporations into settling, so this isn't exactly a man-bites-dog scandal, but the New York Times takes a look at this often underreported aspect of big-bucks litigation. Chevron has filed a freedom-of-information request with New York state government. Chevron's Amazon Post website is an admirable attempt to get its side of the story out there (one we'd wish other corporations would emulate when being unfairly attacked by the trial bar).

Relatedly, Miami Herald film critic Glenn Garvin has some trenchant observations about the number of trial-lawyer-funded films masquerading as documentaries.

In other Lago Agrio news, the Second Circuit vacated Judge Kaplan's preliminary injunction against the plaintiffs regarding enforcement of the Ecuador judgment. A request to remove Kaplan from the case was denied.